Trackside accessories for toy railroads



J. L. BONANNO 3,038,586 TRACKSI'DE ACCESSORIES FOR TOY RAILROADS June 12, 1962 Filed May 16. 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR l/OSEP/l Z. Bo/va/wvo ATTORN EY .1. L. BONANNO TRACKSI'DE ACCESSORIES FOR TOY RAILROADS S Sheets-Sheet 2 June 12, 1962 Filed May 16. 1957 I I Thcq- ATTORNEY United States Patent Q l 3,038,586 TRACKSIDE ACCESSORIES FOR TOY RAILRDADS Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, N.J., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 16, 1957, Ser. No. 659,655 Claims. (Cl. 19833) This application is a continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 394,185, filed November 24, 1953, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to trackside accessories for toy railroads and is more particularly directed toward accessories suitable for loading toy merchandise such as toy barrels or drums into toy cars.

In the operation of the accessory, wooden cylinders simulating toy barrels are placed preferably in an upright position in the storage area of a conveyor, and when an operating magnet is energized, the conveyor is vibrated horizontally and advances the toy articles toward a ramp portion. To ensure that the barrels go up the ramp portion on their sides, the conveyor has means to automatically overturn the upright barrels.

The present invention also contemplates the operation of the conveyor by an electromagnet in a circuit containing a half wave rectifier, so that the conveyor is moved in one direction only by magnetic attraction. Springs, which form supports for the conveyor, are flexed by the shifting of the conveyor when the magnet is energized and during the ensuing half cycle, when the magnet is deenergized, the springs shift the conveyor and toy articles in a direction to move the articles from the storage area toward the delivery end of the conveyor.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the trackside accessory adapted for handling toy barrels or drums;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are side elevations in outline of the operating mechanism and of the platform and operating mechanism enclosure or fence, respectively;

FIG. 4 is a top plan taken in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4a is a fragmentary inverted plan view of the right-hand end of the accessory;

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55 of FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary inverted plan view taken in the direction of the arrow 6 of FIGS. 2 and 7;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 77 of FIGS. 4a, 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the vibratory conveyor taken in the direction of the arrow 8 of FIG. 7 and showing the constricted outlet from the storage area and the depression for overturning the advancing toy articles;

FIG. 8a is a cross section on the line 8a8a of FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view taken in the direction of the arrow 9 of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 10 is a section on the line l0 10 of FIGS. 2 and 9, the discharge gate being lowered.

The trackside accessory indicated in the drawings is adapted to be placed alongside a toy railroad track 10 for the purpose of loading toy barrels 51 into a toy car 3,538,585 Patented June 12, 1962 11. The accessory has an elongated molded plastic platform 12 to which all the parts are secured. 7

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the platform 12 has an elongated recess 13 and three holes or openings 14, 15 and 16. A magnetizable, channel-shaped strip 17 is received in this recess. This strip carries the operating mechanism of the device, and is secured in place by screws 17a passing through holes 17b in the platform 12. It is provided with upwardly bent flanges 18, 19 to which are secured, by screws 20 and anchor clips 21, steel springs 22 and 23 which form reeds capable of flexing to the left and right as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 5, Le, in the longitudinal direction of the device. These springs are welded to magnetizable brackets 24, 24 welded to a magnetizable sheet metal conveyor generally indicated at 25.

The conveyor 25 carries an armature 26 spaced from the pole piece 27 of a magnet coil 28 carried on a magnetizable bracket 29. This bracket is adjustable by a screw 30 passing through a slot 31 in the strip 17 and accessible through the hole 16 in the platform. A pro jection 32 enters the slot 31 and aligns the bracket and coil. This construction makes it possible to adjust the air gap in the magnetic circuit including the magnetizable parts above referred to.

One side of the coil 28 is connected by a wire 33 with the soldering lug 33 of a wire clip 34, insulated from the strap 17 by a sheet of insulation 35 and secured to it by a pin 36 which passes through an insulating washer 37. The clip is aligned by prongs 38 struck out of strip 17 and bent up against portions 35' of the insulating sheet 35. The wire clip 34 is accessible through the hole 14 in the platform. The other side of the coil is grounded to the bracket 29 by wire 39.

A copper oxide rectifier disc 45 is secured against the strip 17 by a post 41 insulated from the strip by washers 42 and 43, by a wiring clip 44 and accessible through opening 15. An alternating current source is connected to the wiring clips 34 and 44, and unidirectional current pulses flow through the coil so that the armature is attracted during the one-half cycle and released for the next half cycle. With 60 cycle current, the reeds or springs 22 and 23 have an opportunity to shift the conveyor 25 to the left, and provide a relatively gentle leftward increment of movement to the articles on the conveyor. When the coil is again re-energized, the conveyor shifts so suddenly to the right that the articles remain in their former position. The articles therefore appear to have a continuous leftward movement along the conveyor.

The conveyor '25 has at the right end a wide storage area 50 adapted to receive toy articles such as toy barrels 51 made of wood. The barrels may be placed in the storage area on end as indicated in FIG. 1. The conveyor narrows as indicated at 52 to form an outlet which permits one barrel only to pass at a time. To the left of the outlet is a semicircular depression 53. As the bottom of the barrel inches its way along the supporting surface of the conveyor, its center of gravity passes by the right edge 54 of the depression and the barrel overturns as indicated in the dotted lines of FIG. 7. This movement continues until the barrel has turned completely over onto its side as indicated in dot and dash lines. As the vibration continues, the barrels continue up the sloping portion 55 of the conveyor.

It has been found desirable for smooth operation and for best results that the angle determined between spring '23 and the vertical hereinafter referred to as angle A be slightly greater than the angle between spring 22 and the vertical, hereinafter referred to as angle 'B. Spring 23 being mounted between the base platform 12 and the inclined conveyor 25 and spring 22 being mounted between platform 12 and the storage area 50 (FIG. 2).

The general purpose of this angular relationship being to reduce the vertical vibration of the surface area of platform 50 as compared to the vertical vibration of the inclined track-way 25 when both the track-way and the platform are being acted upon by the same vibrating force.

It is important that a barrel 51 moving across the storage area 50 be transported with a minimum amount of vertical movement or bouncing. This is necessary in order to prevent the barrel from tipping over before it reaches the narrow point 52 of the conveyor (FIG. 1) and enters into the depression 53 (FIG. 2), and is carried up inclined track-way 25.

If the angle A were equal to or greater than angle B, storage area 50 would be subjected to a vertical vibration equal to the vertical vibration of inclined trackway 25, a vertical vibration which would more than likely result in a tipping of the barrel 51 as it crossed area 50. However, by making the angle B less than angle A, the vertical vector of the vibrating force acting on storage are 50 will be less than the vertical vector of the vibrating force operating on the inclined portion 25 of the trackway. Therefore, by means of the hereinbefore described angular relationship between angles A and B, which controls the vertical vector of the vibrating force, the barrel 51 can be laterally shifted across the storage area 50 smoothly without tipping and up the inclined track- Way 25 by using a common source of vibrating force.

At the upper or left end of the conveyor, each barrel is brought against the end flange 56 (see FIG. 9), and it is caused to roll forwardly by a sloping portion 57 of the conveyor. It lowers a gate 58, so as to roll over into the car 11. The action continues as long as articles are available.

Across the bottom of the platform is a relatively heavy metal plate 59 secured in place by screws 60. This plate has small holes 61, FIG. 7, to give access to the screws 17a. It has slots 62 to receive rubber grommets 62 which act as resilient supporting feed for the accessory. It also has an elongated slot 63 to give access to the clips 34, 44 and screw 30.

To improve the appearance of the device, the platform 12 carries a plastic fence-like structure. Here there is a front trestle panel 70, a rear trestle panel 71 with walkway 71, end trestle panel 72, front, rear and end fence panels 73, 74 and 75 and gate 76. A toy figure 77 is placed behind the conveyor in the position of a workman attending such a conveyor for full sized objects. The device may be used to transport various forms of toy merchandise.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any Way with respect thereto.

I claim:

1. A transportation device for conveying cylindrical articles in horizontal directions and from a lower to a higher elevation comprising a relatively fixed base, a generally horizontal article receiver above the base extending in the direction of motion of the articles and having a receiving end and a delivery end at an elevation higher than the receiving end, spring means interconnecting the receiver and the base, said means biasing the receiver to a predetermined normal position and being yieldable in a direction to permit limited longitudinally reciprocable movement of the article receiver relative to the base, an electromagnet including an armature and a magnet coil one of which is fixedly carried by the article receiver and the other of which is fixedly carried by the base in a position to attract the armature and bias the spring means to store energy therein eifective upon deenergization of the coil to sudden shifting of the receiver and articles in the direction of the receiving end and cause the articles to move toward the receiving end, the receiving end of the receiver being flat so that a number of articles may stand on end side by side and having converging side walls allowing the passage of but one article at a time, the bottom of the receiver having a depression into which the advancing article lowers an amount to cause the article to turn over onto its side, the receiver sloping upwardly beyond the depression and having sides along which the overturned article slides.

2. A transportation device as in claim 1, wherein said spring means includes a pair of spaced leaf springs interconnecting the article receiver and inclined conveyor to the base, with one of said leaf springs being attached to said inclined conveyor member and the other of said leaf springs being attached to said receiver, the last said spring making a smaller angle with a perpendicular to the base than said first mentioned spring.

3. A transportation device for conveying fiat ended toy articles of a predetermined height and width, said device having a substantially horizontal storage portion on which the articles are adapted to stand on end and from which they are to be moved, an outlet portion of a size to permit one article only at a time to pass through while standing on end, a depressed portion beyond the outlet portion over which the bottom of the article moves until its center of gravity passes beyond the outlet portion so that the article overturns, and a conveying portion beyond this depression and onto which the overturned article falls on its side, said storage portion, outlet portion, depressed portion and conveying portion being in the form of a rigid unit, and having resilient means for biasing the unit to a predetermined position, and electromagnetic means to shift said unit in the direction of the storage portion, whereby upon release the springs shift the unit suddenly in the other direction.

4. A transportation device for conveying flat ended toy articles of a predetermined height and width, said device having a substantially horizontal storage portion on which the articles are adapted to stand on end and from which-they are to be moved, an outlet portion of a size to permit one article only at a time to pass through while standing on end, a depressed portion beyond the outlet portion over which the bottom of the article moves until its center of gravity passes beyond the outlet portion so that the article overturns, and a conveying portion beyond this depression and onto which the overturned article falls on its side, said storage portion, outlet portion, depressed portion and conveying portions being in the form of a unitary, rigid magnetizable unit, and having a magnetizable base, magnetizable springs supporting the unit from the base and biasing it to a predetermined position, and electromagnetic means to shift said unit in the direction of the storage portion, whereby upon release the springs shift the unit suddenly in the other direction.

5. A transportation device for conveying fiat ended toy articles of a predetermined height and width, said device having a substantially horizontal storage portion on which the articles are adapted to stand on end and from which they are to be moved, an outlet portion of a size to permit one article only at a time to pass through while standing on end, a depressed portion beyond the outlet portion over which the bottom of the article moves until its center of gravity passes beyond the outlet portion so that the article overturns, and a conveying portion beyond this depression and onto which the overturned article falls on its side, said conveyor having between the outlet end and the elongated portion a depression into which the lower end of an upright article drops as it advances and to cause the article to turn over onto its side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,971,292 Brauer Aug. 21, 1934 2,280,056 Broekhuysen Apr. 21, 1942 2,618,377 May Nov. 18, 1952 

